A's Fall To Tigers Again As Offensive Woes Continue
by baseballgirl on May 20, 2010 4:13 PM PDT
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PrintI think if anything else, this week's earlier two wins underscores how poorly Seattle is actually playing, because as soon as the A's faced the Tigers (granted Verlander and Bonderman started), the bats went suddenly and completely silent. This should be nothing new; the A's lose all games they don't score at least 4 runs in, and today was no exception. The offense put up yet another lackluster performance and didn't even give the Ross/Mazzaro combination a sporting chance.
Tyson Ross struggled through his four innings, surrendering seven hits, one walk, and three runs. He did strike out four. Mazzaro picked him up in the fifth and pitched five innings of his own, allowing two runs on five hits. He also K'd four.
Meanwhile, the A's offense managed only five hits while striking out 12 times. Here is the hit total: Pennington, Barton (2), Kouzmanoff, and Rosales. The A's did load the bases once (Cust flied out) and they brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth (Sweeney grounded out), but other than that, not a lot to cheer about.
Or write about.
You all enjoy your night; we'll be back here tomorrow night as the A's taken on the Giants and Barry Zito. Let's hope he can cure what ails the offense.
Current Series
3 game series vs Giants @ Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
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San Francisco Giants Friday, May 21, 2010, 7:05 PM PDT Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 10-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 60. |
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| Sat 05/22 | 1:00 PM PDT | |
| Sun 05/23 | 1:05 PM PDT | |
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aw
well, I rule this desk, anyway LOL =|~
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 20, 2010 6:09 PM PDT up reply actions
He's just serving out his term.
Waiting to break.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
0 and 2
And it seems he is always down in the count with two strikes every freakin ab.
Watching this struggle is killing me, and my 3foot Chavvy boblehead
It's time
I think evaulation time ends when Crisp and Ellis come in next week.
There’s not a whole lot that can be done. Obviously Pennington will move toward the bottom of the batting order, which would probably be a good place for him, and I’d put him on watch that if things don’t pick up, he’ll be replaced as a starter by Adam Rosales.
Beyond that: I’ve been quietly rooting for Chavez to get his act together, but instead we’re seeing that the league has discovered he can’t get around on a decent fastball, and he’s striking out a lot. If the A’s want to keep him as the back-up infielder to the back-up infielder and sometime pinch hitter, then okay. But otherwise, it’s time to cut bait.
As for the other cut, I’d probably dump Patterson but wouldn’t be averse to seeing either Fox and/or Gross taking a hike.
But these changes won’t make a dent in the real problem with the A’s: minimal power and limited players.
I agree mostly
I have less of a need for davis though.
That being said, I am not sure why Gross was signed if he is not going to play.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Davis
There’s this nagging hunch that Rajai Davis circa 2009 is lurking somewhere and will find his way into existence as the year goes on. Maybe I’m just being optimistic. But last year at this time, he sucked.
Yep. Important to remember that it was at this exact time last year
we (myself included) were all calling for his DFA to Neptune. Maybe he and God can have a chat and God can finally turn his attention to helping the A’s OF hit.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Ive got a problem with you putting Verlander and Bonderman on the same level
Bonderman is completely awful and gave us MANY chances to score. Our offense is so terribly inept we couldnt get it done, but thats on us being bad, not Bonderman being good. Bonderman’s road ERA was 8.67 before today, he stinks.
Verlander is a perennial Cy Young candidate and completely awesome. Given, he should have been facing Brett Anderson, and that would have made things more interesting for sure, but even still the odds of us getting a W against him are very slim, as are any team’s chances.
To me, I see a team that’s one legit bat away from blowing this division away. Here’s my ideal 25 man:
RF: Sweeney
1B: Barton
LF: PLAYER BEANE TRADES FOR SUCH AS AUSTIN KEARNS
DH: Cust
3B: Kouzmanoff
2B: Ellis
C: Suzuki
CF: Crisp
SS: Pennington
Bench: Davis, Powell, Rosales, Gross
SP: Sheets, Anderson, Braden, Gio, Cahill
RP: Bailey, Wuertz, Ziegler, Breslow, Ross, Kilby, Blevins
If we can somehow put this team on the field from July-September, I see a playoff appearance in our future. If not, then we are going to be about .500. We are seriously one bat away from blowing past everyone.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
LF
how bad could chris carter be in LF, really?
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05
Nah
lets leave his clock alone. He’s not annihilating AAA either, lets wait for at least that to happen. Ideally he’d step up and give us no choice but he’s only doing “pretty good” not “outstanding” so he needs a full year at AAA.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Austin Kearns?
Kearns had an OPS of .627 in 2008 and .641 and 2009. He’s had a decent 100 ABs this year, but he hasn’t had a really good season since he left Cincinnati in 2006.
Injuries
He’s fully healthy for once. He’s always had talent.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Could've had him for almost nothing
He was a free agent that no one really wanted. He ended up signing a minor league deal with the Indians for only $750K.
Yeah I actually wanted him here too
Sweet deal for the tribe, he’s the new big hurt (for them)
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Austin Kearns...
…currently has a BABIP of .439.
Unsustainable. Dream on.
the a's are now losing games before i'm even aware that they're playing
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05
Get used to it.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
I don't see them lasting, but I also don't see our offence scoring enough runs.
We’re literally a good hitter (like a hot Crisp) away from competing. Assuming nobody else dies.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
They're being efficitent.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
(efficient). blah.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Totally forgot this was a day game.
When i saw the score, I was actually kind of relieved I missed it.
I needed an emotional break from the tsores.
So much for the CT theory that this team is totally different at home.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 20, 2010 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions
same here.
pity, no evening baseball game viewing-distraction-habit tonight.
alaska A residing in northern Idaho.
We're a totally different team at home.
………against the Mariners.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
yes these 2 games were brutal
I agree that Chavez must do what is right to help the team. Right now it’s like well, he’s making $13.6 million this year so he has to play, but if empty money games are just going to dictate everything that happens why not just pack it in and admit that it’s about money (and of course the interpersonal feeling that Beane holds for Eric) and not winning?
As I see it, we are out the $13.6 mil anyway, it’s a question of whether we are out $13.6 mil and can run a team out there with a legitimate DH or whether we are still out the same $13.6 mil and are stuck with a designated shitter for the duration instead. The idea that cutting him or offering him a permanent position (maybe as a fielding instructor?) in the organization is insulting to him is immaterial to me… this is a team sport and if you’re not able to admit what is painfully obvious to even the most casual observer IMO you are letting your sense of ego and inability to let go of something that is clearly past (in the case of Eric, his effectiveness as a MLB player) put your responsibility to the team in the back seat.
Watching Eric, he looks gaunt and emaciated compared to how he was before he fell apart, and it’s getting painful to look at given the many, many thrills he’s given us all over the years. At some point he must look in the mirror and decide what’s best for the team and for himself, and IMO he has always been a team player up to this point and I’d like to see him make the ultimate team gesture and step aside voluntarily.
I have a MASSIVE retirement ceremony for him and like I said maybe get him working with our minor leaguers on fielding (passing along what Wash taught him all those years)… but he MUST step aside now or he (really the shell of himself) could possibly ruin this season for us in terms of eking out the mediocre and winnable West.
Please Chavy, we LOVE you and you know we do, but you have to stop the charade and step aside for the good of our team right now, it’s tough to have to say that but that really does seem to be the sad truth.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 20, 2010 6:25 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Well, step aside
but I would never advocate that he retire, leaving his this year money and buyout on the table. It would be nice if he made it clear that he understands the impending DFA and take all the steps necessary to collect his money.
I think he has said as much in the press, with the Cust remark last weekend. So yeah, I agree he needs to step aside, we as fans need to give him a kudos. I just don’t think we should demand he give up $10,000,000.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
absolutely
I want him to have the money, he earned that years ago IMO. Whatever it takes to have him step aside with dignity, get the $$ and maybe a position with the team so he can feel he is contributing at some level to what he helped make here this last decade of A’s baseball.
IMO him as roving fielding instructor is going to be a more positively impactful situation for the A’s than having him DH in his shell-of-himself condition is going to, and he has to be professional and team-driven enough to concur and act accordingly.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 20, 2010 6:49 PM PDT up reply actions
It's a difference in perspective.
To us, sure, it’s a team sport. It’s feel good. We’re fans. It’s about the wins. It’s about the guys on the field.
But it’s also their JOB. That they go to every day (well at least 6 months out of the year). Just like we have jobs. If I had a guaranteed contract at my job, I would NEVER voluntarily walk away from the money. No one would expect me to. Not my employers and not my co-workers. It’s the price of doing business.
If I wasn’t getting my job done, it’s absolutely on my employers to fire/release me. It’s not Chavvy’s job to make that decision on behalf of the team.
You all know I love him, but I’m not blind to the fact that he’s not getting the job done. But it’s the A’s organization responsibility to take care of the issue, however they choose to do that.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
by pam5981 on May 20, 2010 8:08 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
When I looked at the schedule this week
I got one of those “we need to have a great homestand, cuz if we don’t, we might end up 6 or 7 games back by the time we’re finished” feelings.
It seems like we face a pretty good pitcher every game, while the Rangers get 4 games apiece with Kansas City and Baltimore every week (countin’ doubleheaders :-)
Are they ever gonna have a road trip over 3 games? When do they face some good teams?! I suppose they get the Astros as well, while we get SF? Damn, this sucks.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
I think the schedule evens out, especially in August and September
In August the Rangers only have 12 home games (all against good teams NYY, BOS, MIN and OAK…I will assume that we are good by then.) Their other 16 games are on the road.
In September/October they only have 12 home games yet again (against mostly good teams NYY, DET). They have 18 on the road, including 4 in Oakland.
by uci anteater on May 20, 2010 8:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Wow -- nice set up for the Summer fade in the Texas heat.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Since I'm out in the Detroit area I can watch the game again.
Guess they replay it at night since it was aweekday mid-day game. The A’s are down 2-1 right now. Any chance this time it will end differently and they can pull it out?
by Athletix Man on May 20, 2010 8:14 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Awesome just like the braves?
Right now they’re still at one run, no hits.
by Athletix Man on May 20, 2010 8:26 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I should read today's Braves game thread
to see who posted “Game Over” when it was 9-3 going to the 9th.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
You mean Atlantonis
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
sOaTlANtyBuTwHy?
Quality Jones is my kind of hero.
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 21, 2010 12:12 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah, like that "brooks Conrad" fellow
that has got to be a fake name
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Why can't the a's ever get a player that can hit like that. Ha
I had forgot all about him makin his debut with the a’s until they were talkin about it on tv a bit ago.
by Athletix Man on May 20, 2010 8:32 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Whoa, what?
I remember that AAAA scrub from when we had him. Is he actually good now?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Love that name.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Shake it off
Let’s forget about the Detroit Tigers.
For the next three days, all that matters is taking it to the SF Giants.
They’re limping in here with a ragged bullpen, tired pitching staff and anemic offense.
They can have their ballpark, overpriced beers & ridiculous coke bottle. The Giants are a marketing phenomenon masquerading as a Major League Baseball team. Any other club would have let go of Bochy/Sabean LONG ago.
Let’s go Oak-land!
The idea is to get to the SF bullpen
Even though Lincecum got knocked out today, he still would’ve won the game if the bullpen hadn’t blown it again. If the bullpen hadn’t kept blowing up, he’d now be something like 9-0.
The A’s must be patient, patient, patient. And then get to work on the Giants bullpen.
Exactly, richwol1
The Giants obviously have impressive starting pitching, though it’s scuffled lately.
For whatever reason, their bullpen has regressed this season. That was expected with Brandon Medders; not so much with the rest of the relievers. After pitching out of his mind last year, Jeremy Affeldt also looks human. Brian Wilson, despite throwing heat, is always vulnerable to the blown save because his slider can be inconsistent and he has no change up yet; when he develops a good change up, he’ll make the leap to an elite closer.
If we can get to the Giants bullpen, I like our chances.
We need to let their hitters beat themselves. They’re a buncha free swingers. Fortunately, the Giants have minimal power.
It’s gonna be electric this weekend at the Coliseum…
by StrangeDaze on May 20, 2010 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I only have...
…one thing to say about the A’s now. And that is AARRRRGH!
It'll be OK
It’s a loooong season but I know we’ll win more than we lose.
The AL West is within reach.
If we’re contending during summer, I know that our second half A’s will look a LOT different than the first half A’s. Despite his limitations, Billy Beane is still savvy and has proven he’s willing to make deadline moves in the past.
by StrangeDaze on May 20, 2010 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions
This Chavez situation really makes you wonder if the FO is even paying attention
Are they watching games? They couldn’t miss the fact that he can’t catch up to an average MLB fastball then. Are they at least checking the stats? He’s a DH flirting with sub-.600 OPS for God’s sake.
It’s amazing how easy it is for Beane to make tough decions from personnel standpoint, as long is it doesn’t involve any of his friends. He’s Gordon Gekko to other people and George W. Bush to Geren and Chavez. “0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts? Heckuva job, Chavy!”
Harsh
Up until recently, Chavy was hitting liners…there’s a reason his average was hovering around .250. But lately he simply hasn’t been getting around on anyone’s fastball, and now all they’re throwing pretty much are fastballs. There’s no need to take any action until Crisp and Ellis return. At that time, something’s got to give.
He has no power and no strike zone awareness.
They know he can’t hit a good fastball anymore, so that’s all they throw. They also know he loves swinging at slop when he has two strikes – he’s such an easy out.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
Not many on this team have power..
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
No, but not many are sitting in the DH spot contributing almost nothing to the team.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
By any maeasure I'm not say Chavez (or Fox) is doing well, but they are not at the bottom of the league either.
G AB R H 2 3 hr rbi tb bb so obp. slg. avg.
1. V Guerrero TEX DH 41 158 24 54 6 0 9 35 87 7 16 4 2 .372 .551 .342
2. C Guillen DET DH 16 61 8 19 5 0 1 8 27 8 8 1 1 .391 .443 .311
3. L Scott BAL DH 35 120 17 34 8 0 9 20 69 12 27 0 0 .348 .575 .283
4. H Blalock TB DH 3 11 1 3 0 0 0 1 3 0 4 1 0 .273 .273 .273
5. T Hafner CLE DH 34 119 13 32 6 0 3 13 47 19 26 0 1 .395 .395 .269
6. J Guillen KC DH 42 162 25 42 9 0 9 28 78 9 38 1 0 .313 .481 .259
7. J Miranda NYY DH 7 20 5 5 1 1 2 4 14 4 5 0 0 .375 .700 .250
8. D Ortiz BOS DH 30 109 14 27 6 0 8 21 57 11 38 0 1 .314 .523 .248
9. M Lowell BOS DH 22 62 4 15 5 0 1 9 23 8 7 0 0 .329 .371 .242
10. J Thome MIN DH 29 79 10 19 5 0 5 16 39 16 22 0 0 .368 .494 .241
11. W Aybar TB DH 21 68 8 16 3 0 4 10 31 3 13 0 0 .264 .456 .235
12. E Chavez OAK DH 33 111 10 26 8 0 1 10 37 8 31 0 0 .276 .333 .234
13. A Lind TOR DH 42 164 20 37 7 0 6 22 62 17 46 0 0 .297 .378 .226
14. H Matsui LAA DH 42 146 13 33 7 0 5 20 55 16 31 0 0 .303 .377 .226
15. M Sweeney SEA DH 18 53 5 12 1 0 3 7 22 5 8 1 0 .300 .415 .226
16. P Burrell TB DH 24 84 9 17 5 0 2 13 28 10 28 0 0 .292 .333 .202
17. J Fox OAK DH 27 70 9 14 4 0 1 8 21 4 17 0 0 .250 .300 .200
18. K Griffey SEA DH 31 94 5 18 2 0 0 7 20 8 16 0 0 .252 .213 .191
19. M Kotsay CWS DH 25 71 6 13 0 0 3 6 22 11 4 1 0 .293 .310 .183
20. N Johnson NYY DH 24 72 12 12 4 0 2 8 22 24 23 0 1 .388 .306 .167
21. R Ruiz TOR DH 13 40 3 6 2 0 1 1 11 0 11 1 0 .150 .275 .150
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
Sorting by batting average?
That’s misleading. Among all DHs with at least 50 PAs, Eric Chavez is third worst in the league by wOBA. He’s only ahead of Jake Fox and Griffey.
I'm walking out in a force ten gale.
Birds thrown around, bullets for hail.
Looks to me like he has a better slg. than:
Fox, Griffey, Nick Johnson and Mark Kotsay.
By avg. he’s better than:
Fox, Griffey, Johnson, Kotsay, Burrell, Sweeney, Matsui and Lind.
Am I missing something?
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
He's also on the 60 day DL.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
Worse than I thought
Once you look at DH’s with 75 or more at-bats and throw out Burrell, who’s been released, the only regular DH worse than Chavez is Ken Griffey Jr. and the only DH even in Chavez’s range is Hideki Matsui. Griffey should have retired at the end of last year. So that leaves Matsui who has a OBP almost 30 points higher, and a slugging percentage 44 points higher.
BUT GRIFFEY HIT A HOMER YESTERDAY TO WIN THE GAME
by LoneStranger on May 21, 2010 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Griffey and Chavez are essentially the same player
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
designated zombie.
Speaking of which, is tonight’s game in Oakland or SF? Maybe our pitcher can hit better than Chavez/Fox.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
So I take it the team lost...
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on May 20, 2010 11:30 PM PDT reply actions
This team is...
Unwatchable.
"Carter's 25-game hitting streak isn't any normal streak. He's 46 for 97 (.474 average) during the run, adding 16 walks and compiling 81 total bases in the process. I'm out of superlatives for what he's doing." - Kevin Goldstein
It's been that way for a few seasons.
They can complain about attendance all they want, but at the end of the day the product they put on the field isn’t fun to watch.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
-1
The A’s have so many awesome pitchers to watch, and good catchers to catch them who can even hit a little.
Quality Jones is my kind of hero.
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 21, 2010 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah the pitchers can be fun to watch.
But ultimately they must get the feeling that they have to be perfect to get a result. Must be mentally tiring.
The offence, outside of a few players is awful to watch. Same with the defence.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
I still play the game (competitive wiffleball is more like hardball than softball)
and since I’m a pitcher, I pay a lot more attention when the A’s are in the field than when they’re up.
Maybe it’s less painful that way :)
Quality Jones is my kind of hero.
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 21, 2010 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Our offense is bad, but it's not the worst.
There are five teams with worse offense than ours, and three of those are in the AL.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I hate that line of thinking.
“Oh, but it’s not the worst, so it’s alright then!”
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
Ross was not fun to see yesterday, nor the last time he pitched.
Mazarro? They all can pitch very well for stretches, but then all of them seem to have an inning that they blow up. It’s frustrating to watch them give up runs early and then “settle down” to pich 4-5 innings of great ball; or the other way around, 4-5 innings and then bam! Growing pains???
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
I like Mazzaro. He's a back of the rotation starter, but he's decent.
I really don’t like watching Ross pitch though. It’s painful.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
This team need to cut the excess baggage
and get it together or they will be out of the race for the title in the worst division in baseball.
Chavez needs to be shown the door for starters.
Hurry back Brett Anderson as our pitching is in dire need as well.
When Brett, Ellis and Coco come back, it will help quite a bit but we cannot afford to lose any more ground in the interim.
Tyson Ross needs to be back in the pen where he belongs. He’s fine there.
Apart from that, they better win 2 out of 3 this weekend. The last 2 days they are playing like they think they are on the road.
I hope that's a prayer and not a suggestion about Anderson
I want him back pitching a ton too but if he is not feeling 100%, and I mean 100%, not a single doubt, then he shouldn’t pitch. he’s our franchise right now. So don’t rush him back for one or two extra games.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Sorry, but that's just crap.
How is this team “not fun to watch”? We’ve been reasonably competitive, hovering somewhere around a 500 record. Sure, our hitting isn’t the greatest and we’ve played some real stinkers now and then, but most of the time the team plays hard, has a fair shot at winning, and is in the game right up to the end. It’s only May and we’ve already had numerous great plays and lots of exciting finishes, not to mention one perfect game.
What more do you want from baseball? Are you defining “watchable” as “always wins every game”? If you could make a deal with the baseball gods and guarantee that we win tonight’s game, would that make it more “watchable”? Of course it wouldn’t. If guaranteed results made baseball more fun to watch, you’d skip the live games and just watch reruns all the time.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
A watchable team isn't out of the game when they go four runs down.
You literally may as well go and find something else to do if we’re down by a crooked number. The offence basically eeks out enough runs to win the game if the pitching is exceptional – that’s fun to watch in it’s own way, but it gets tiresome as the season grinds on.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
Do you think it would be more fun to watch a team like
the Brewers or the Diamondbacks? They score a lot of runs but they’re worse teams than the A’s.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Today's Doonesbury
Giving a shout out to Dallas Braden
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html
If he wants to run across the pitcher's mound, tell him to go do laps in the bullpen - pepe
OMFG
this is the coolest sh*t yet, Dallas is enshrined in Doonesbury, OMFG.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 21, 2010 4:39 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Does anyone know why
Ross started instead of Mazzaro? Not that it really mattered, with Mazzaro throwing more innings. But does anyone know what the rationale was for it?
I don't get a lot of what the A's do anymore.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
Is it a pattern or just me?
For the past several seasons it seems that we have a game or two every week when we string together some good at bats and everything falls in. Then we have several games when it seems to be a major accomplishment just to make contact and put the ball in play.
went to the game...some impressions...
tyson ross – impressive, but he needs to throw more strikes early in the count. hitters have trouble squaring him up until he get into trouble and he must throw a strike.
vin mazzaro – i have it in my head that he’s a sinkerball pitcher, but his numbers say that he’s not. magglio and cabrera schooled him early, but vin settled down nicely. the cabrera home run was such an easy swing. pretty. mazzaro had lots of swings and misses. a decent effort.
a’s offense – i have nothing good to say about anything. chavez is worse than i thought. sat right behind home and he was horrid. he does start his swing early and has no ability to adjust. he does not at present have or ever had the abililty to judge the outside corner (ok maybe that’s harsh). if you pound him hard outside, he’s in trouble. barton continues to post the best at bats and sweeney is well…swingles. bonderman made zooks look foolish on the same pitch…over and over and over (81 mph something or other)
to be honest, it was a totally boring game. it was great to see a ton of kids at the game and hear them cheering throughout the game. that was sweet and heartening.
Has everyone seen this?
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html
Sorry for low-tech link, and if this is a duplication. But isn’t it cool?
"If you make up your mind not to be happy, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a fairly good time." -Edith Wharton (The Last Asset)
by Oakville Athletic on May 21, 2010 8:54 AM PDT reply actions
Read much?
Just saw the link above. Everyone have a nice weekend.
"If you make up your mind not to be happy, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a fairly good time." -Edith Wharton (The Last Asset)
by Oakville Athletic on May 21, 2010 9:33 AM PDT reply actions
.091
…is Chavez’s average with runners in scoring position. I’m as big a fan of Chavez as anyone, but a DH who can’t drive in runners in scoring position is killing the team. Maybe he should start sacrifice bunting?
http://dallasnews.stats.com/mlb/playerstats.asp?id=6114&fn=Eric&ln=Chavez&tm=11&p=F&page=splits
I'm really glad
The team doesn’t have a ten million dollar contract with Shooty Babbit.
Crisp activated, Powell sent down
My head is spinning.
Why is Billy Beane afraid to DFA Jake Fox or Eric Patterson, or even Rajai Davis? Or cut Eric Chavez? Or even send down Cedrick Bowers? Why send down THE ONLY DECENT BACK UP CATCHER THE TEAM HAS, the guy who caught Dallas Braden’s perfect game?
In a year of inexplicable moves, this one is pretty high on the list.
Suzuki Healthy
When Suzuki’s healthy, he’ll play virtually every day. If they actually need someone to catch, I’m sure they will bring Powell back.
Yea, unfortunately Powell has options.
I don’t know how many he has, but it’s possibly in a year or two he’s the guy who stays even though he’s not the best available, and some other kid is sent down.
by LoneStranger on May 21, 2010 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions
So does Beane (have options)
He can DFA Fox. He can send down Bowers. Dumping a great back-up catcher simply because “he has options” is absurd when you’ve got nonentities like Fox and Patterson on the club.
At least he'll be getting regular AB's and will be sharper when we really need him
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
It should be fun to see the super OF of Crisp, Davis Sweeney
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
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